Luxury Cruise Ship

"What are the coordinates of the island with the stone tablet?" Ling Chu asked Titch.

She wasn't very interested in that immortal Tree of Luga, but she was interested in the Elf race's treasure.

And she wasn't afraid of trouble either—if the island wasn't too far, she could grab it along the way.

Titch reported a set of coordinates. Ling Chu compared them to her current position and immediately dropped the idea.

At her Level 3 Ship's current speed, even at full sail, it would take half a year to get there.

"Captain, are you interested in that stone tablet too?" Titch asked.

Ling Chu gave a noncommittal response.

"Besides me, Hemlock, and Philip knew about this. Back then, I had just set out as a Pirate, and only those two crewmen were with me. Philip's personality was a bit indecisive. His bones weren't in that Deep Pit, so he might have already defected to Lucas. That stone tablet might already be in Lucas's hands..."

Titch voiced his speculation. If Philip had refused to talk even under death, Lucas wouldn't have been so quick to chop off Hemlock's head to learn the stone tablet's whereabouts. He would have tied them both up and interrogated them slowly.

Ling Chu thought his reasoning made sense. They'd been dead for over a year now. If Lucas knew the stone tablet's coordinates, he would have taken it long ago.

"I'll keep an eye out for Lucas's whereabouts. If I can find him, I'll avenge you for sure."

Ling Chu said this not just because she wanted that stone tablet, but because she genuinely wanted to avenge her little henchmen. She was very protective of her own people.

She just didn't know how strong this Lucas was, but there was no harm in talking big first, right?

Killing Lucas to avenge their dead selves was practically the wish of every Skeleton Henchman. Hearing this, they were so moved that the Ghost Fires in their eye sockets flickered.

Hemlock spoke indignantly: "When we find that Lucas, I'll chop off his dog head myself!"

"Buddy, have you forgotten you don't have a body and can't hold a knife? I can do it for you," Titch said with a hint of laughter.

"I don't have a body, but I can fly. Can you? You're just a pile of bones—if you fall into the sea, even the Sharks won't eat you!"

"Oh ho ho ho, if I fall into the sea, I can swim. Unlike you, buddy, you can't even stand in the sunlight~"

Hemlock was afraid of sunlight, so he could only stay in the shadows of the cabin. Hearing this, he stomped his feet in anger.

One skeleton and one ghost bickered back and forth. Ling Chu knew they were close, so she couldn't be bothered to intervene.

Amid the noise of the Skeleton Henchmen's squabbling, Ling Chu faced the training Dummy on the deck, took out her Oak Longbow, and started practicing archery. She trained from noon until night, only stopping when her arms were so sore she couldn't lift them.

After several hours of practice, Ling Chu's aim had improved a little, but she felt she still hadn't grasped the technique and essence of archery. Unfortunately, none of her Skeleton Henchmen knew how to shoot, so no one could teach her.

At night, Ling Chu sprawled out on the brand-new double bed, feeling her whole body relax.

She slept straight through until dawn.

It was the best sleep she'd had since entering the survival game. Sure enough, a good bed meant good sleep quality.

Although her arms were still a little sore, she felt refreshed.

After the ship's Upgrade, the deck area had increased by more than five or six times, so Ling Chu took out the Bird's Nest that she hadn't had space for before.

The three Planting Pots were still in their old spots. Watering them daily had originally been Titch's job, but with more henchmen, Titch had delegated the task to others.

He had arranged which henchmen were responsible for hauling Charcoal and adding it to the fire, and which ones were in charge of collecting from the fishing nets and fishing platforms.

Ling Chu officially appointed Titch as her First Mate, letting him manage the Skeleton Henchmen when she was busy.

The Ghost Thorn Seed showed it still had 2 days and 18 hours until maturity. The Cherry Tree and Banana Tree still had 11 days.

Ling Chu found the pace too slow, so she searched the Trading Post. Sure enough, a player with the Farmer profession was selling Fertilizer at a cheap price. She bought ten bags at once and used them on the three saplings.

The maturation time shortened considerably. The Ghost Thorn now showed 1 day and 20 hours until maturity, while the Cherry Tree and Banana Tree needed 8 days.

Mickey Meow Witch also sent over the custom-made leather armor and small bag right on time.

[Giant Lizard Leather Armor Set]

[Quality: Rare]

[Heat-resistant and durable leather armor. Wearing the full set grants +50% resistance to fire-type skills, +2 Agility, +1 Constitution. Due to its somewhat ugly appearance, -1 Charm.]

[Portable Leather Bag]

[Quality: Common]

[Comes with 10 Personal Spaces, stacking limit 99.]

"Boss, try it on and see if you're satisfied. If the size is off anywhere, send it back and I'll adjust it."

The full set of leather armor consisted of three pieces: chest guard, arm guards, and leg guards. Ling Chu put it on—it fit perfectly and was comfortable. The +2 Agility bonus in particular made her feel much lighter on her feet.

As for the Charm penalty, Ling Chu didn't care at all. She was a pragmatist—good stats were what mattered, not whether it looked nice.

"Very satisfied. Sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all, it's only right. I did charge a crafting fee, after all. If you ever need any more clothes made, just come to me—I'll give you a discount~"

Mickey Meow Witch was very enthusiastic.

"Okay."

Ling Chu responded while feeling a little strange. She remembered that at first, this person had seemed a bit socially anxious.

She had no idea how much help those two weapons she'd given Mickey Meow Witch had been.

Ling Chu put the Portable Leather Bag into the ship's storage, planning to give it to her Skeleton Henchmen to carry when needed.

She was just about to put on her new leather armor and practice archery a bit more when she suddenly spotted the skeleton henchman in charge of reconnaissance scrambling down from the lookout tower in a panic, charging straight over to her in a single burst.

"Reporting, Captain! At 17 o'clock direction, a large vessel is approaching us!"

Ling Chu furrowed her brow. She'd actually run into people?

She took the telescope from Flat Head and climbed up to the lookout tower herself to check.

Gazing out, there was indeed a distinct black ship-shaped dot on the endless sea, rapidly closing in on them!

Ling Chu immediately returned to her ship, ordering her henchmen to grab their weapons and enter a state of combat readiness. The scimitar weapons ordered from Little Luban weren't finished yet, so only two or three of her henchmen were armed.

Their momentum was limited.

That vessel's speed was clearly much faster than her own ship's. Ling Chu soon made out the ship's silhouette with the naked eye.

It was a five-story luxury cruise ship.

Ling Chu breathed a slight sigh of relief instead. No current player could possibly own a ship of this scale.

Still, she remained vigilant. Who knew if this ship would attack her just because she was on a pirate vessel? To be safe, she first had her henchmen furl the sails.

Since it wasn't a player, and with the other ship being so large, there were bound to be plenty of people aboard. She didn't want to provoke them—peacefully passing by was the best option.

But then the other ship drew closer and closer, and when it sailed right up to her vessel, it actually stopped on its own.

The five-story cabin blazed with lights even in broad daylight. Ling Chu could clearly see at least five hidden cannons on the ship's side. If they wanted, they could blast her ship to pieces with a single salvo.

On the opposite deck stood a man dressed as an attendant, in a crisp suit with a bow tie.

Spotting Ling Chu, he offered a polished smile, removed the top hat from his head with one hand, and performed a gentlemanly hat-tip bow in her direction.

"Fair lady, meeting on the vast ocean is a stroke of fate. Would you be interested in boarding our vessel for a gamble you'll never forget?"